Page 7: - No Return Ticket - Just a Ride Report /w Pics - From the beginning
Scorpion Bay: Getting out of town was a challenge, flooded roads, huge pot holes, slippery mud and tight morning traffic. Every large flooded section we rode through I hoped we wouldn’t fall into a big hole. We made it out of Loreto by 10:00 AM, just after the rain stopped. We were prepared to stay another night if the rain continued. We still have plenty of time to make Scorpion Bay.
We’re taking the southern route. This is the longest route to Scorpion Bay but also the easiest with only 30 miles of dirt road to contend with. Still, 30 miles of Baja dirt road can be a killer. We are, 2-up on a Harley Davidson Sportster loaded down with gear and supplies.
Riding south from Loreto we came across several road sections that were flooded. Usually there was a dirt path on the side that paralleled the main road. I was wishing we had our dual sport knobby tires on at this point. In Arizona we elected to just go with street tires because of the longer expected wear. I first thought we would buy a knobby near the Mexican border and haul it but decided against it because of our already heavy load.
We gassed up at Ciudad Insurgentes and stopped for a cappuccino. It was one of the best cappuccinos we have ever had. What a surprise, it was extra large for about $2.20. This would have been close to five bucks in the US and for sure not as good.
IIt’s about 100 miles to Scorpion Bay from this gas stop. If we want another gas stop we will have to go 5 miles past the dirt road turnoff to Scorpion Bay.
At first the road is mostly straight and in pretty good shape, then the road turned to sections riddled with large deep pot holes. I kept it around 50 MPH, throwing the bike left, right, left, right, left, right. I finally get a double, double poke from Heidi telling me to slow down. I had to agree. I was doing good and only hit a couple small holes but if I did strike a big one it could have been bad. Not worth it. We haven’t even been on the road for two months yet. We have a long way to go.
At the dirt road turnoff to Scorpion Bay we decided to just continue without getting more gas. I’m thinking 8 less liters of fuel will help us ride the bumps better.
Killer washboards, big rocks and sections of deep sand. I’m standing on the pegs manhandling the bike. I’m glad I grew up riding dirt bikes in the back country of Northern Wisconsin. Without that experience we would be done. I was so concentrated on the road I didn’t even know Heidi was there. What a champ, she did admit during our second rest stop that the deep sand has kind of been freaking her out. She asked God to help us. Several times we rode into a side slide. I pressed heavy on the foot pegs and goose the throttle. This has to be disconcerting to a passenger and was. Heidi said she was getting a sick feeling in her stomach. I assured her I would slow it down more. After an hour of hard riding we made it 15 miles. Sweeet! Half way, we are going to make it. We decided to slow it down even more. The theme every time we mount the bike is ‘Safety” We always tell each other that no matter what happens, if we stay safe and healthy we are going to have a good time.
Riding through San Junico we had no idea where Scorpion Bay is but just continued like we knew what we were doing. I hang a left toward the water as soon as the pavement ends again. We take a right when the road T’s and ride along the coast. A mile down a dirt path we see the sign “Scorpion Bay” Yehaa...
Oh Yeah!
A few more pics from Scorpion Bay.
We planned on pitching our tent but a palapa was open to rent, we took it. The palapas are a lot cooler inside during the day and have a great view of the bay.
The palapas are comfortable, sleep 6 or more people but are a little expensive. Bringing candles and bug spray greatly added to our comfort level.
We were inside playing cards one day when a bunch of powdery stuff falls from the palm branch ceiling. We looked around on the floor and found a small tarantula. The first night at the cantina there was a huge tarantula crawling around the floor. I guess they’re common here and come out every night. Whoa...
This guy practically flew right at Heidi’s feet while we were eating some canned corn and tortillas. It didn’t want any food but sure seemed like it wanted something.
The surfing in the bay was poor but people were enjoying the water anyway.
We took a long walk along the coast. This stretch of coast is all under development for practically as far as you can see. We were told that a few years ago plots were selling for around $50K. Now the same plots are selling for $80K to over $100K. There is no AC power out here or anywhere in Scorpion Bay. Any power comes from diesel generators, solar cells, wind generators or some combination. All the water has to trucked in. I’m sure this is why the prices for lodging and camping are expensive.
.Scorpion Bay and the village of San Juanico originated as and still is a fishing village.
The fishing boats head out while it is still dark and start returning between Noon and 2:00PM. Standing on the cliffs overlooking the bay we can see what looks like coral reefs but they are actually huge schools of fish. Sometimes the fishing boats will stop on their way out and fish at one of the schools. One morning Heidi and I saw over a dozen Dolphins surfacing around one of the fish schools. It was fun watching four or more Dolphins all surface in unison over and over.
It’s been great here but it’s time to go. We want to try to meet a couple that are heading to South America, 2-up on a motorcycle when they come through Mazatlan.
The 20 miles of dirt road south of town didn’t get any easier to ride. I kept the speed way down which helped on the washboards but made the deep sand more difficult. Sometimes in deep sand we fishtailed from one side of the road to the other before bringing it under control. The greater speed causes increased inertia on the wheels which make the wheels track better in deep sand. This was not fun with my precious cargo on back but I kept the speed down anyway. If we are going to ‘dump it’ it will be a slow dump.
During one rest stop this truck with locals stopped to make sure we didn’t need any help. That made us feel good knowing that even out here in the middle of nowhere we could get help if we needed it.
The scenery didn’t get any less beautiful on the way back either. Making it back to Ciudad Insurgentes meant we would be pushing our bike close to its gas range limit. When we hit the paved road we turned left to La Purisima, the opposite direction we needed to go. The map said this town had gas.
La Purisima is an oasis in the middle of a barren desert. Miles of fig palm trees.
No one was around to sell us any gas. I asked a woman walking down the street if there is any gas in town. She said “NO” but described a place where we could buy some. Then a police officer drove by in a truck and said there was no gas in town and described a place 7 or 8 kilometers out of town where we could buy some. We didn’t have a good feeling about finding the place so we just turned it around and made a run for Ciudad Insurgentes. I had confidence we would make it if I kept our speed down and held the throttle steady.
There was still water on the road but a lot less then when we came through here four days ago. No problem.
La Paz:
We scan or a hotel on our way into town. Bike security and affordability is the priority. A few blocks from the malecon we find a hotel with a pool. The guy at the front desk said we could pull the bike right into the lobby. The price was $57. We decided to look for something more in our price range. Next we find a place just off the malecon for $35 / night. The guy at the front desk there also said we could pull the bike right into the lobby. I said “If it will fit we will take it” We were too wide to fit and had to continue looking.
Heidi spotted a hotel on our way into town that looked like it had a secure court yard. We head back a few miles and pull into Hotel Calafia. $33/night, king size bed, pool, restaurant and a very friendly feel. We are set.
We made it into town too late to get our bike cleared through customs. The office is open from 8:00AM to 2:00PM Monday through Thursday. Bummer, we have to wait until Monday before we can cross to mainland Mexico on the ferry. We were hoping to meet up with Conchita and Brian in Mazatlan. If they are on schedule we will miss seeing them :(
Cruising into town we spotted a DHL office. We decided to send home our tent, bed rolls, one sleeping bag, my jeans and Heidi’s long sleeve hooded sweatshirt, about 12 pounds of load. It’s hard to describe the relief this brings. A lighter bike handles better, takes bumps and potholes better and is easier to push.Before shipping the boxes out we had to get it cleared with Mexican customs. Luckily the customs office was just up the block.
I like the rule Horizonsunlimited.com teaches. ‘Plan on achieving only one task per day while on the road’. We got our one task accomplished and are now free to just enjoy the rest of the day, sweeet…
The malecon is only a few miles away from our hotel. We take off on foot and start enjoying the sights and culture of La Paz, Mexico.
La Paz
Heidi spots a bunch of Adventure motorcycles and some guys standing around them. We go over to take a photo.
I say “How are you guys doing?” “Where are you from?” I say “We are on our way to South America” they point to one guy, saying he rode down there. I ask if anyone is an ADVrider. I say “I’m cavebiker” One guy leaps forward with his hand out “I’m FlyingAvanti!” Unreal, this guy and his wife Sandy are like our heroes. They cruised, 2-up through Central America and South America and posted one of the top Ride Reports on advRider.com. I have posted to his thread several times and we have e-mailed each other.
FlyingAvanti was full of life telling us all sorts of information about our route through Central and South America. He is super sincere and offered to help us in any way through e-mails and phone calls. The whole gang was warm and friendly. We talked for a long time. They are taking the ferry over to the mainland and heading to Copper Canyon next.
We felt like we met a legend and let me tell you, he surpassed all our expectations.
I asked if they are really advRiders.I guess so….
Cappuccino on the malecon, nice…..
Hang in there. Much more to come……
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